Truth or Dare?
by Quidditch Anyone
Summary: This is my first Fanfic, so you might not like it. While Harry and the gang decide to play Truth or Dare one night, Ron reveals a secret. Finished, but now with an alternative ending!!!
1. The Game

The Game

It was just another night in the Gryffindor common room. A bunch of students were gathered around on squishy red armchairs or sitting on rugs. Everyone was rather giggly and having a great time, for a game of truth or dare had broken out.

"I'm never picking dare again!" Parvati squealed as she returned to the room. Her dare was to sneak into Flitwick's office and set of a dungbomb. She was lucky to return alive.

"All right, now it's _my_ turn," she laughed, looking around the room. "Hmmm," she thought. "I pick... HERMIONE!!!"

People glanced, smiling, in the direction of Hermione. She was rocking back and fourth in front of the fireplace. Several butterbeer bottles littered the space around her.

"Dare!" she yelled bravely. Even proper, rule-bound Hermione was having fun this late at night.

A few people gasped at her daring. Most, like her friends Ron and Harry, just laughed.

"Okay," said Parvati. She held her right elbow as she rested her face in her hand, thinking hard. Lavender crawled up to her side and whispered something in her ear. Both started to laugh and nod. "What you have to do is... kiss Ron!!!"

Ron, who was taking a sip of butterbeer at the moment, spit it out with great force all over Harry.

"Watch it!" Harry said, but Ron didn't hear him. His eyes were huge, glued on Parvati as she continued to laugh. Hermione, however, was laughing.

"Oh, very funny. Now, really what do I have to do?" Hermione said, smiling.

"That's it!" Parvati squealed.

The smile flickered from Hermione's face. "You-you can't be _serious_!"

Parvati giggled. "Yup!"

Hermione now was wearing the same expression as Ron. _Him? Ron? Her BEST FRIEND?_

"You have to do it," Lavender chimed in.

"No! That's... that's not fair!" Hermione cried in disbelief.

"Afraid you have to, Hermione. Rules are rules," Fred said, immitating Professor McGonagall. "Hey, I had to kiss a toilet set... although that might not be as bad as Ron..."he said thoughtfully.

They had no choice. Ron gulped, Hermione whimpered, but they drew nearer as chants could be heard from the group. Then Hermione was struck with a sudden idea. She turned her head sideways and gave Ron a peck on the cheek.

"There! I did it!" She cried and she backed away from Ron.

"No way! Parvati said, still giggling. "On the lips!"

"Now THAT is unfair!" Ron yelled madly.

"Oh, yes, it sure is fair!!" Lavender prodded

"No... Parvati's exact words were 'kiss Ron'- she didn't say Hermione had to kiss him on the lips," George reminded her.

"Well, that's what I ment," Parvati confessed.

"That doesn't matter!" someone called out.

"Yes it does!" a third year said.

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does!"

"No!!!"

"Of course it does!"

"ALRIGHT!" Parvati yelled. Then she sighed and mumbled, "It doesn't matter. Your turn, Hermione."

Hermione took a sip of butterbeer and sat back on her heels. "Lavender!" she said without hesitation.

Lavender blushed rose and said "Truth! Give me your best shot!"

A few people ooohed and laughed. Half a dozen Gryffindors crept up to Hermione and whispered in her ears, but she shook them off.

"No, I have one," she said with a smile. "Okay, Lavender, if you had to marry anyone in this room and stay married for the rest of your life, who would it be?" Hermione half expected Lavender to be embarrassed, but she went wide-eyed and said, "Well, isn't that sort of obvious? Harry!"

Harry went white and his emerald eyes widened.

"Kidding!" Lavender giggled. "Umm...," she looked around the room, then sighed. "Seamus," she said to the floor.

Everyone laughed- even Seamus, just a little.

"Now," Lavender said as her now red-hot face returned to fleshy pink. "I pick," her eyes fell instantly on a certain red-haired boy. "Ron" she said with a smile.

"Haven't I been through enough tonight?" Ron moaned.

"No exceptions," Lavender said. "Truth or dare?

"Well, I guess... if I have to... no, no... pick someone else!" Ron refused.

"Nope."

Ron sighed. "Fine! Truth."

Lavender said in a very superior way, "You have the same question as me; if you had to marry anyone in this... oh, let's change it just a bit," she added. "If you could marry ANYONE, dead or alive, friend or famous, who would it be and _why_?"

Everyone groaned. They all knew the answer-Fleur Delacour, the part-veela that Ron was deeply in love with from the moment he saw her.

"Wait, I'm not finished," Lavender said to the disappointed crowd. She twirled her wand in her hand, then pointed it straight at Ron. "HONESTILUCCIA!" she cried. The honectiluccia charm was a new charm they had just learned. It would make one person tell the absolute truth about a single question.

Ron sat up straight, his eyes focused on the wall. "If-I-had-to-marry-anyone,-dead- or-alive,-friend-or-famous,-I would-marry-Hermione-Granger,-because-she-is-the-nicest,- kindest,-smartest,-and-prettiest-person-I-know.-I-have-loved-her-from-the-moment-I-met- her-and-I-always-will." Ron's head fell on his chest. When he looked up, his eyes were brimming with tears and his face was redder than the crackling fire. His lip trembled, he sniffed, and he looked at Hermione.

Hermione tried to speak several times, but couldn't say anything. Soon there was only silence.

"Well, I'm bushed, aren't you, George?" Fred said loudly, yawning and stretching.

"Oh, yes. I could fall asleep right now!" His twin responded just as loudly. Soon everyone was headed up the stairs, with fake comments on how late it was or how they had to get up early the next day. Soon only Ron and Hermione were left.

"Well, what an interesting night this was!" Hermione said happily. She tried to smile, but somehow those muscles weren't working. "You know, Ron, Lavender was really drinking down those butterbeers; her spell was probably off. Yeah, never trust Lavender to do a spell like _that_ after a few drinks. It was _clearly_ a mistake!" She said, trying herself to believe it. She slowly walked over to Ron and put her hand on his arm. "Just a mistake, Ron," she whispered. "Just a mistake."

Hermione slowly walked up the girls' staircase. "Goodnight," she called over her shoulder to Ron, who was sitting, not saying a word, after saying so, so much.


	2. The Morning

The Morning

Morning sunshine poured into the room. No one in the girl's dormitory was ready to greet the day, however. Everyone had a headache and was rather grumpy. Hermione was having the worst time of all. If the girls didn't know what had happened the night before, they would have thought she was dead instead of lying like a mummy with her face under her pillow trying to forget life.

"Morning," Lavender said to Hermione's pillow, trying her best to sound cheerful. Lavender felt responsible for Hermione's deep depression, seeing as it was her who had asked Ron the now-to-be-unspoken-of question. "How are you this morning, Herm?"

Hermione didn't respond in the slightest.

"Er, nice weather, don't you think?" Lavender continued.

Nothing.

Lavender sighed. "Oh, all right. I'll just go... clean up a bit."

Lavender brushed her teeth, washed her face, brushed her hair, made her bed, and folded her clothes, all the time watching Hermione "sleep". When she didn't stir, Lavender brushed her hair again, dusted a little, remade her bed, rebrushed her teeth, all the time with no comment from her friend.

"Oh, come on. He probably doesn't even remember!" Lavender said finally, ripping the sheets off of Hermione.

Slowly, like coming out of a trance, Hermione took the pillow off her head and spoke. "Of course, Lavender. No one remembers! Everything is fine, and things are back to normal. It was a dream! That's all! Just a dream..." she trailed off. Hermione walked to the bathroom. Soon a spray of water could be heard from the pipes.

Parvati sighed. "You know she'll be in there forever, right?"

·~··~··~·

Back in the boys' dorm, not much was different. Ron was lying on his stomach with his head in a pillow, his curtains pulled around him and his sheets covering every inch of him. Harry, Fred, George, Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Lee Jordon were crowded around his bead, each, in turn, trying to get Ron up.

"Ron, you'll miss breakfast!" Neville said.

"Yeah, can't you just smell the bacon and eggs? Mmm..." Dean put in.

"Want a game of exploding snap?"

"Wizard chess?"

"Swap Chocolate Frog cards?"

"Want to spend the rest of your life in that bed?"

"Doing nothing?"

"Except smelling up the place because you'll never shower?"

George groaned. "Okay, Ronnie. I don't think any of us really liked what happened last night. I can hardly stand up, and any second now I'm gonna puke all over you. You're not the only one suffering." (George's dare was to do 50 jumping-jacks after eating 10 Chocolate Frogs, 9 peppermint humbugs, 12 couldron cakes, and a whole pack of Bertie Bott's every Flavor Beans.)

"But you can still have a normal conversation with your best friends, because you didn't tell one of them that you were in love with them since the moment you met!" Ron said in a muffled voice to his bed sheets. Everyone went silent.

Ron slowly climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. He, too, turned on the shower and attempted to drown his thoughts.

Lee sighed. "You know he'll be in there forever, right?"


	3. Breakfast

Breakfast

The boys, Lavender and Parvati came down to the common room shortly after Ron and Hermione 'hit the showers'. Everyone sighed as they sank down into couches or cushioned armchairs.

"How's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Drowning herself, last I checked," Parvati said. "And Ron?"

"Pretty much the same," Harry sighed. "Think they'll be okay?"

"Well, we'll find out in a second," Fred said, pointing to the girls' staircase. Hermione came down, her black robes hanging loosely on her back, her hat angled oddly on her wet, unbrushed hair. She looked-oddly-cheerful.

"Morning, everyone!" She said brightly to everyone's amazement. "Fun, last night, don't you agree? Shame it ended so early. Shame." She shook her head gently, then she laughed. "Ron's so funny sometimes, isn't he?"

Silence followed, then Harry found his voice, though it was very small. "Hermione, Ron was serious. Lavender used the Honestiluccia charm, remember?"

Hermione gave a small laugh. "Boy, Harry, you're memory sure is fuzzy. Didn't you notice how, er,_ tipsy,_ Lavender was? Her charm was hardly accurate. No offense, Lavender." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Lavender and Parvati exchanged nervous glances. "Hermione, it wasn't a mistake. Ron really does like... _you_," Lavender said.

Hermione smiled and shook her head "No he doesn't! It was a mistake."

"Hermione, it wasn't-" Harry began

"A mistake, Harry," Hermione said definatly. She looked harshly around the room and addresses everyone. "A mistake."

Silence followed again. Hermione looked at each face with a very hard look in her eyes. "A mistake," she said a final time. With that, she went to the portrait hole. Looking back, she said in the same tone, "See you at breakfast-with Ron."

·~··~··~·

__

Everything will be fine, Hermione thought. _Surely not everyone is a stupid as those guys to actually take Ron seriously. Right? Right. I mean, it was so obvious that the charm didn't work and Ron just made up the funniest answer that popped into his head. Ron? Like me? Ha! He's so funny sometimes. By lunch, this whole thing will blow over and we'll all have a good laugh. It'll be okay. It was just a mistake. A mistake! It will be okay._

Hermione opened the doors to the Great Hall. Almost everyone at the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables looked up when she came in and started exchanging excited whispers. Had news traveled that fast? Hermione could have laughed out loud. _They'll do anything just for a bit of gossip._ She made her way to a chair at the Gryffindor table across from Ginny Weasley.

"Umm, good morning, Hermione," Ginny said uncertainly. She was present last night in the comon room; she knew about everything.

"Good morning," Hermione responded. Then she leaned forward and whispered to Ginny, "Can you _believe_ how everyone is acting, just because of Ron's little joke?"

Ginny looked stunned. "What?"

"You know, last night, during Truth or Dare.. when Ron said that thing about me?"

"Yeah, but, Hermione... he was under the Honestiluccia charm. I'm not sure what you're thinking of, but... Ron was telling the truth!"

Hermione just smiled. "So you were a bit tipsy last night, too? Didn't catch the joke? Well," Hermione sat back in her chair and sprinkled cinnemon on her oatmeal. "The charm didn't work. Lavender performed it wrong. Ron knew, of course, that he wasn't under any spell, so he made it all up! Not a word of it was true!"

Several Gryffindors were listening.

"Well then why is Ron taking a 2 hour long shower, if not to drown himself from embarrassment?" Wood said to Hermione. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know Wood is not at Hogwarts anymore, but I'm running out of characters. Plus, isn't everything better with Wood? Of course it is...)

Hermione paid no attention, but shook her head. "It's not true, everyone! A mistake was made! Just a simple mistake! I know what I'm talking about!" Hermione pounded her fists on the table and bits of oatmeal flew up and into her hair, but she took no notice. "I wish eveyone would just forget it and get on with their lives! Ron doesn't like me and I don't like him! Now CLEAR OFF!!!" She turned a brilliant pink and shouted as if speaking from opposite sides of a football field. Half of Hogwarts was taking notice of her now. After a few deep breaths, she simply cleared her throat and returned to her oatmeal.

·~··~··~·

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor common room, an arguement broke out.

"You know, Hermione could be right," Neville pleaded. "I mean, she knows her spells. If she thinks Lavender's charm was off, then she's probably right!"

"You're just saying that because you fancy Hermione and don't want Ron to like her, too!" Dean was saying. "Just accept it!"

"Accept it? ACCEPT IT?" Harry yelled. "Ron just admitted he loved Hermione, and you want us all to just _accept_ it? Are you crazy?"

All present stared at Harry. It was so unlike him to yell at his friends like that.

"Well, we won't have to, because Ron does not like Hermione!" Parvati said. Then she sighed. "I hate to admit it, but perfect Hermione is probably right again. Lavender, I think your spell _was_ off."

"It was not!" Lavender said stubbornly

"Yeah it was! It doesn't make any sense otherwise!" Fred responded.

"Her spell was dead right!"

"No way! It was off..."

"It was the Honestiluccia charm!"

"STOP!" George yelled. "Look, everyone. The only way we know for sure if Ron really likes Hermione is if the spell is performed again, all of us sober and accurate. Then we'll see if Hermione is right or is just in denial."

"No," Harry whispered. "We can't do that. As it stands now, we don't know for sure if Ron was telling the truth. He could be, or not. Who knows. Who cares. We'll just pretend it never happened. But if the spell was done again-_correctly_- and if Ron really does like Hermione, then things will never be the same. If we let it be, we won't know for sure, but that's better than having it set in stone."

Nobody spoke. They all nodded in a silent agreement not to do the spell again.

·~··~··~·

Back in the showers, Ron was lost in thought, a steady stream pouring down his back. His life was over. Completely. He would stay in here forever-no one could make him come out ever again.

Unfortunatly for Ron, the showers, like so many other things at Hogwarts, were bewitched. The jet of warm water stopped suddenly and an old voice said, "Aren't you clean yet? It's been over an hour! Get out! NOW!!!"

Ron stayed put, but the voice sighed. "Fine. If you won't get out, I'll make you!" A fluffy blue towel dropped from the ceiling onto Ron. The nozzel then slapped him in the back and he stumbled out of the stall, cursing and wrapping the towel around himself.

"Stupid Lavender with her stupid spells and stupid wand and stupid game and everything is just stupid, stupid,stupid."

He looked at himself in the mirror. Red hair dripping. Muttering under his breath. His eyes were red, though not just from the steamy water, but from his crying non-stop since he woke up.

He sighed again. "Well, better get this over with. The sooner I go down, the sooner my life ends and I won't be suffering."

·~··~··~·

Ten minutes later, Ron appeared in the common room, still wet, but with an awfully mismatched outfit on and his black robes sagging.

"Ron, how are you this morning?"

"Get a good nights' sleep?"

"I... er... like your sweater. The blue ink stains really bring out your eyes."

Ron heard none of these comments. He stomped to the portrait hole and took a deep breath. As if a soldier going off to battle, he stepped out. He walked bravely across the halls until he reached the big oak doors. With a final deep breath, and a "Please, God, let me make it through my last meal," he opened the doors and walked to the Gryffindor table, sitting as far away from Hermione as possible. Hermione would have gladly sat next to him, but she was too busy humming "I Can See Clearly Now," in a very dazed sort of way and reading her schedule to notice he was there.

The last people Ron wanted to see now, apart from Hermione, strut up to his side as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.

"Are the rumors true Weasley? Are you and that little mudblood really going to spend the rest of your lives together?" mocked a drawling voice nearby. Two sets of trollish laughter followed. Ron ignored best he could the continuing comments from Malfoy.

"I can see the wedding now. You're too poor to have the ceremony at a church. How about a spot more within your budget? Like, oh, say, the dump?"

Crabbe and Goyle chucked stupidly again, and Ron's face was so red he could have warmed up his eggs on it.

"But I can see you aren't with your true love at the moment! Did she get on your nerves? Or are you just too embarrassed to be seen with that bushy-haired, buck-toothed mud-"

Ron snapped. He spun around and knocked Malfoy to the floor, punching his narrow face, kicking his shins, and yelling in his ears. 

Malfoy gasped and caught his breath. "Help me, you idiots!" he shouted at his buddies. Soon Crabbe and Goyle joined the fight, and Ron was so out numbered (Crabbe and Goyle counted as 3 people each, seeing as they were so big), he was soon whimpering on the ground with his hands covering the back of his neck.

"STOP! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!" Professor McGonagall roared as she split up the fight. Malfoy had a bloody nose and his hair was a mess. Crabbe and Goyle stood up without a scratch. Ron, however, could hardly sit up, let alone stand. Blood flowed from his nose, his lip was cut, a black eye was blooming, and at least two of his teeth were on the floor.

Everyone was staring at Ron. Hundreds of eyes. Thousands of eyes, peering at him at the lowest point in his life. In the background Hermione had her hands over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks. Ron wanted to disappear. Just to leave and never return. To be forgotten. To have everything be forgotten... forever.

READERS- Whoah! 3 chapters in less than 24 hours! Go me! Go me! It's my birthday! Sorry to dissapoint you, but I'll have to take a break from writing for a while. I have a project to finish and a party to plan (told you it was my birthday :). But I PROMISE to finish the story hopefully before January. Any suggestions how how it should end? Reviews and E-mails welcome, as always. Thanks!

-Quidditch, Anyone?


	4. The Awful Truth

The Awful Truth

Ron got up with great difficulty. He gasped for breath as if he had just run across Europe. He couldn't bare being stared at like that. If the teachers were yelling at him or if his friends were asking him if he was all right, he wouldn't have known. All he could hear was a buzzing. A buzzing that wouldn't stop. A buzzing driving him crazy! He had to leave the hall- right now. He stepped backwards and then turned to the door. He could see Harry and everyone else who had entered the Great Hall just in time to see the knock-out. He didn't look back as he pulled the doors open.

"Weasley!"

"Ron!"

"Where is he going?"

Shouts followed him, but his only instinct was to get away- just get away from it all. Were people following him? He didn't turn to see. He didn't care. He just kept running. Running in no one direction, but just following where his feet took him. In five minutes he was completely lost. Ron put his hands on this knees as he tried to catch his breath. He looked around for the first time. He was in a corridor, though he didn't reconize which one. It was dark and gloomy with moving pictures of very sad-looking people on the vast walls. One was a woman crying into a hankercheif. Another was a dirty boy lost in the rain. The subjects were in such grief that none of them noticed Ron. Ron walked slowly down this hall, looking for a tiny nook to escape to. He opened a dark oak door. It creaked slighty as he pulled on the knob. Inside was nothing but a small window. A drizzle had started outside and the sun was currently covered by a dark cloud. Ron walked up to the window and stared at the blank sky. Tears were now pouring silently down his cheeks.

_Nothing will ever be the same again,_ he thought. _Everyone knows my deepest, darkest secret. I would never have told Hermione all by myself. Never. Even if I were on my deathbed, I wouldn't have told her. But now she knows. And the worst part is she finds it so ridiculous that she's denying the whole thing. She's dazed! She thinks it's a joke. She's thinks I'm a joke. That's all I am to people- a clown._

He sniffed and continued to look at the sky. Suddenly, he heard the door open slowly. Not bothering to turn around, he called "I'd rather be alone right now, if you please."

"Can I just give you something first?" a voice responded quietly.

Ron knew that voice all too well. Sure enough, he spun around and saw Hermione across the room with something in her hands.

"That sure was an awful fight, Ron," She said as she stepped forward. Ron could now see in her hands were a small bag of crushed ice and a cloth. "Your eye looks horrible! And your lip is swollen. Here," she handed him the cloth. "Pinch your nose hard- the bleeding will stop eventually."

As instructed, Ron held the cloth to his nose. He would have said something- anything- but he couldn't hink of anything to say.

"What did Malfoy say, anyway?" Hermione asked, now putting the cold ice on Ron's left eye.

"Well, isn't it obvious? The whole school is talking about it! What else could it have been?"

Instead of responding, she took the opportunity of Ron opening his mouth to comment about his teeth.

"He knocked out your teeth!" she shrieked. "Do you have them?"

Ron, angry at her for not responding, opened his clenched fist to reveal 2 broken teeth. Hermione told him to open his mouth. Then she muttered a few words and the incisors flew into place.

"Are they in tight?"

Ron wiggles them with his tongue. "They're fine." Then he waited for her to finally say something about his confession.

"Aren't you going to say something about last night? Or are you just to embarrassed to talk to me and would prefer never to have a real conversation again?" he burst out savagly.

Hermione took the ice off of Ron's eye. Then she looked at the floor and sighed. When she looked up, her eyes peered into him. "Was it a joke?" She asked slowly. "Or is it true?"

A very long silence followed.

"Because if it's not true," she opened her eyes wide as though giving him a hint. "Then we'll forget about this. It will never have happened. Is that what you want?"

Ron breathed deeply. "I could just say that and lie, and things would be the same. But they won't. Things will never be the same. You know one of my deepest secrets and nothing will make you- or everyone else- forget. And that's the truth."

"Oh," Hermione said and replaced the the bag of ice.

"Do you... like me too?" Ron quivered. He never thought he would be asking her this, but had wanted to know some how for a very long time.

"Ron, I can't lie. I like you very, very much," then she sighed. "As a friend."

Ron melted. Inside and out, he had just melted away; collapsed. As far as he knew, he was dead.

I hate to stop here, but I have no idea what to write next! One review- I think it was Squin, and sorry if it was someone different- said I should have a sappy hospital wing scene, but I just thought that a dark and gloomy corridor suited it better. I hope you liked it, anyway, and thanks for the suggestion! If anyone had another suggestion on what will happen next, I'd love to hear it! I swear, I'm all out of ideas! And don't worry some of you; this will NOT turn into a Harry/Hermione thing (sorry Draco's Princess). I think Ron fans would shoot me in my sleep if that's how things turned out. Anyway, thanks for the great reviews and read again!


	5. Friends?

Friends?

The pain Hermione felt was unexplainable. As she watched Ron slowly retreat, she thought about what had just happened. The last few hours were so unreal to her. They were like a dream, and any minute she thought she would just wake up and it would all be forgotten. But that wasn't the truth. The truth was real. So real she couldn't take the pain. She had hurt her best friend so badly that he would never forgive her. But what could she do? She didn't like Ron in that way. She looked with all her power deep inside her heart to find the tiniest shred of love for Ron, but it wasn't there. Ron wasn't charming and handsome and dreamy to her. He was just... Ron. The Ron that sat next to her in Charms everyday. The Ron that could make her angry even if she was having a wonderful day. The Ron that she had chatted casually with for the past four years. Before now she wouldn't believe that same Ron loved her. But she believed it as she stood there alone- and it hurt her more than she could bare.

·~··~··~·

Ron was crushed. No, worse than crushed. He had melted. No, vaporized. Actually, words couldn't describe how he felt. He didn't exist. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. But he couldn't. There was no escape. Stupid Hogwarts. He hated living here now. Stupid friends. If it wasn't for them he wouldn't have this problem. Stupid Hermione. Why did he like her? Her hair was bushy and her teeth were huge and she was such a know-it-all that Ron just... he just... he just loved her.

Ron wiped his nose and eyes on his robe sleeve and looked around. _Well,_ he thought. _I'll just have to live with it. People will make fun of me. I'll have no friends. I'll be an outcast. But what can I do? I just have to be strong. It'll be okay... somehow._

With a final sniffle and blinking back fresh tears, Ron thrusted out his chest and walked down the hall, ready to accept the world for what it had become. As he rounded a corner, Professor McGonagall appeared with her eyes wide and her mouth thin.

"Weasley!" she boomed. "That behavior in the Great Hall was unexceptable! You shall report to my office _immediatly_ for your punishment! Come on! NOW!" she turned and walked briskly down a flight of stairs, Ron close behind. He didn't care that he was in trouble. At least he didn't have to face the other students right away. He could wait for the heat to die down a little.

·~··~··~·

Hermione had already started off towards the common room. On her way she bumped into Harry. There was a short silence between them while they both thought of something to say.

"Er... care for a walk?" Harry asked with his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"Sure," Hermione said. Even though she was dreading talking about this with anyone, seeing Harry now was a surprising relief.

They started walking down the corridors together, Hermione explaining everything that happened, everything she felt, everything she thought would happen to Ron.

"You were in denial for a long time, Hermione," Harry said. "I think that hurt Ron the most. You thought of it as so absurd you couldn't believe it was real. That could be what drove him over the edge."

"Maybe you're right," Hermione said. She sighed. "I just," she shook her head, thinking of how to explain. "Couldn't believe it. You see, logic controls the way I think about everything. I know it sounds corny, but I didn't listen to my heart. I blocked out reality with how I felt the way things should be, or were supposed to be. Does that make sense?"

"So you're saying you couldn't accept what Ron's feelings were because in your mind you thought it wasn't logical?" Harry gave a shallow laugh. "I knew your genius would get you in trouble one day."

Hermione's eyes watered. Her lip trembled. She couldn't say anything else. She was lost.

Harry sighed and clasped his hands behind his neck, his elbows on the sides of his face so Hermione couldn't see his expression.

"Things will work out. They have to work out," was all he said.

They walked in silence for the rest of the way. When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione decided she couldn't go in. Instead she would do what she did best- drown herself in books at the library.

"I'll see you later Harry," he started to climb in when she caught him by the arm and thought she had to say something. "Oh, and Harry. Thanks for listening."

Harry just smiled and said, "You're smart, Hermione. You'll think of something."

Hermione wished he was right. She just gave a weak smile and nodded as he disappeared behind the painting. Then she turned on one heel and heading for the library.

·~··~··~·

She opened the doors and wandered off to the back shelved and wished to find something that could take her mind off everything. As she read the titles of a few history books, the one person she could never expect to be here was. That's right, Ron Weasley was standing just a few feet away, dusting the volumes with an old grey featherduster. He had seen her enter, so only turned bright red when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Detention," he responded in a voice very unlike his own.

"Oh. I see," Hermione said. She rocked back and forth on her heels while Ron fiddled with the handle of his duster.

"Oh Ron. This is so stupid!" Hermione said finally.

"I know! But what can we do?" Ron cried.

Both just stood breathing deeply for a minute. Then Hermione thought of Harry's words from just a moment ago. She was smart. She could think of something. But this was more than just equations and homework and potions. This was love!

_Love!_ Hermione thought suddenly. _The most powerful of all magics! But could it work? No, it's not strong enough. Or is it? Well, it's worth a shot!_

"Ron, kiss me," she said faintly. 

"What?" Ron said, turning red once again.

"You know that night we played truth or dare? And you didn't want to kiss me?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide and bright.

"Yeah," Ron asked, puzzled.

"Was it because you didn't want to, or not just with everyone watching?" Her eyes were now the size of walnuts now.

"Of course I didn't want to! You are my friend!" His face didn't lie.

"Then do it now," Hermione demanded.

"But-"

"Don't you see?" she asked. "Love and friendships are more powerful than some silly charm. If you choose to be my friend and don't want to kiss me, then that would mean you would rather us not fall in love! The truth is how you feel, not how you think! The Honestiluccia charm makes you say what is in your head, not your heart," Hermione whispered dramaticly. 

As skeptical as Ron was, he had to trust her. "Okay," he whispered. He looked around. "No one's in here but us. On the count of three, then."

"One," Hermione muttered.

"Two,"

"Three!"

Resentfully, they pulled together at last. They eyes were closed and they were trying to remain calm, but they still looked very odd; Ron holding a featherduster and Hermione twisting her robes. Their lips stayed closed together for a few seconds, but then Ron pulled away.

"That was so... weird!" Ron said. he looked like he was going to be sick.

"YES!" Hermione screamed and she jumped into the air. "That means you don't love me! You don't love me!" She clapped her hands.

"I don't! I DON'T!" Ron started clapping, too. Both of then cheered and clapped loudly. Good thing it was a weekend; no one was ever in the library on the weekends. It was just two friends, jumping up and down and laughing their heads off in the quiet room.

Just two friends.

I know I'll get burned to a crisp by some reviewers. But I couldn't have them get together! Think about poor Harry! Poor, poor Harry! I would have liked this story to be longer, but the truth was I was totally brain dead until I thought of this ending in the middle of the night. I know, a lot of you wanted this to be some sappy ending, but you have thousands of stories to read that have Hermione and Ron get together! I wanted to be different! I hope most of you liked it anyway. It was fun to write. By the way, thanks SO MUCH to Angelfall and Weasley_gurl for the Snape Suckers story. I'm not sure if I already mentioned that, but a million thanks again.

Okay, don't forget me now that my story ended! I have another posted and I'm gonna write more. So y'all come back now, hear? 


	6. Alternative Ending

I know a few of you- okay, just about ALL of you- were not pleased by my ending. I'm sorry... I just wanted to be _different_. Okay, okay... here's a sickingly romantic ending for all of you unhappy customers. Enjoy!

The Alternative Ending

Ron's lip trembled. He almost just dropped to the floor and went to pieces crying, but he didn't. Even though his legs were jelly, his nose ran, and he could hardly speak, he stood looking her right in the eye. He gulped. After a few deep breaths, he could muster one word.

"Okay."

Hermione looked at the floor. She sniffed and wiped away tears. "I'm sorry, Ron. I just... can't..." She snapped. Hermione ran out of the room. She couldn't take it. What had she done? She had hurt Ron so badly... and herself. Nothing would ever be right again. Nothing.

·~··~··~·

A week past. Ron avoided Hermione ever since his confession. She and Harry stuck together wherever they went. Ron just stayed in the shadows. More than once Harry had attempted to talk to him and maybe, just maybe get him to talk with Hermione. Ron always refused. He said he would be fine by himself. Though he wasn't himself. He never said a word and he slouched every place he went with his head down.

One evening Hermione watched Ron from a distance in the common room. He was at a table by himself, of course. His lonely eyes shone in the low candle light. His colorless face sagged low from not smiling in so long. His red hair was the only part that still seemed alive. He would always have that red hair. That soft, sweet, bright red hair. His face didn't fit his hair, though. It belonged on a face that laughed, that smiled, that loved. Oh, what Hermione would give to make that face right again. But there wasn't a way. Well, there was a way, but it would never happen. Of course not. If Hermione just said she loved him back, everything would be okay. But how could she?

The common room slowly emptied. Harry finally yawned and said goodnight to Hermione, who claimed she had a long essay to finish in Arithmacy. But that claim was false. She just didn't want to go to bed and leave Ron.

A grandfather clock in the corner chimed eleven. Ron looked up. It was then he realized how late he had been working. He gathered his things then rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few times, then saw Hermione looking at him. He didn't say anything other than clearing his throat and throwing his bag over one shoulder. Now was Hermione's only chance.

She stepped over to him. He looked at her but still didn't speak. His eyes shone as if he would cry yet again, but he held back.

Hermione drew a sharp breath. "Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked.

Ron bit his lower lip as if thinking hard, but still didn't look away. After a few moments he breathed, "Okay." His bag slipped down his arm and he headed towards the portrait hole.

They walked through the castle without a word. Perhaps this was a good thing, so not to attract Filch or Peeves. But the silence continues out onto the grounds, aorund the lake, near the forest. 

"Ron," Hermione started. They stopped out in a patch of moonlight. Stars shone up ahead. Thousands. It was so beautiful. 

Hermione couldn't think of anything else to say. She knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn't. The truth was for the past few days, she felt differently towards Ron. And it wasn't just pitty. She smiled when she thought of him laughing, or joking, or just being himself. Maybe she loved him back... maybe. There was no way to know for sure. Unless...

"Ron, when you confessed... you know..." Hermione looked away for a second. Then back in his eyes. "Did it come as a surprise, or did you know you loved me?"

"To be honest, it _was _a surprise. I always felt... strange towards you, and I thought maybe I liked you, but I blocked it out of my head. It was only when the spell was performed when I accepted it," Ron said. He wasn't lying.

Hermione swallowed. Maybe she felt the same way? Did she like him, and never admitted it to herself? If she was under the spell, would she find she liked him, too? 

Without thinking too much, and just listening to her heart, Hermione pointed her wand to her chest. "Honestiluccia," she muttered. 

An icy surge spread through her body. It was now or never. "Ask me. Ask me if I like you," she whispered.

Ron sighed. "Hermione, I-"

"Do it," she muttered, her eyes watering.

He asked.

She took a while. Instead of a lengthy explaination, she just said 'yes'.

Yes.

It was as simple as that.

She returned to her normal state. Ron looked at her and smiled. She looked back and smiled.

"Guess we're both in the same boat," Ron smiled.

Hermione laughed. They couldn't have been happier.

A shooting star passed. Ron closed his eyes.

"What did you wish for?" Hermione asked.

"That you would kiss me."

She smiled. "Me too."

It was like they were waiting to do this from the moment they met. Maybe they had been. All they knew, as their lips were together, their hand around their backs, was that this was the way it should be. This was the way it would be. Forever.

Unclean! Unclean! This is NOT my style of writing! You reviewers have turned me into a mushy, gooshy, fluffy, sappy, softy, sweet cream puff! Yuck! Enjoy it while you can. Now I'll go write about a bloody horror scene... that's better. Hope you liked it... I suffered a lot while writing this. Now I have to go settle my stomach. 


End file.
